Thread-protector.



No. 653,898. Patented Iuly' l7, I900.- M. a a. s. BLAKEY. THREAD PROTECTOR.

{Application filed Jan. 23. 1900.)

(No Model.)

[7702222572- VMAOWJ @Q/z UNITED STATES PATENT Onrrcn.

MILDRED BLAKEY, OF ROME, OHIO, AND GEORGE G. BLAKEY, OF PITTS- BURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., AND MCKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

THREAD-PROTECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,898. dated July 17, 1900. Application filed January 23, 1900. serial No. 2,479. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, MILDRED BLAKEY, a resident of Rome, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, and GEORGE G. BLAKEY,

a resident of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Thread-Protectors and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to thread-protectors, and particularly to that class of protectors having thin metal bodies with ribs extending inwardly,the upper edges of which form screwthreads for engagement with the threads of the pipes or bolts to be protected.

The present invention relates especially to the means for connecting together the ends of the bands forming the thread-protectors where the ribs are formed about midway of the bodies of the bands and as they extend inwardly might interfere with the connecting up of the ends of the band by a suitable clip or holding device.

The invention comprises, generally stated, such a thread-protector formed of a thin integral wrought-metal band having a rib extending inwardly about midway of its body of greater height than the threads to be engaged and having T-shaped slots out at the ends of the bands and removing part of such rib and a clip fitting in the slots so formed and connecting the bands, the T-shaped slots by removing the ends of the ribs making it possible to connect up the ends of the band by a simple U -shaped clip which will be below or clear of the screw-threads engaging with the rib.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the strip from which the band is formed, showing the T-shaped slots at the ends thereof. Fig. 2is a perspective View of the clip. Fig. 3 is a viewof the finished thread-protector,showing the ends connected. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the protector on a tube. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing the ends of the band connected by the clip, and Fig. 6 is a view of a strip of another form with which the invention may be employed. 7

It is preferred to employ the invention in the formation of pipe-thread protectors, substantially such as set forth in an application tor filed of even date herewith, Serial No. 2,478, having two or more V-shaped ribs extending inwardly from the band forming the thread-protector and of greater height than the threads to be engaged, the preferred form of such band having three such ribs, as shown in the band illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. These protectors are formed from such a strip as shown in Fig. 1, the body portion 2 being formed of a thin strip which for certain sizes of couplings can be practically no thicker than ordinary sheet metal, while rolled upon the face of such band are the outer ribs 3 and the inner rib 4, these ribs being of the same height and being of greater height than the thickness of the thread with which they are to engage when formed into an annular band, as shown in Fig. 2. As the strips rolled same, it is evident that in order to connect up the band with a rib substantially in the center of the band or body portion such rib would interfere with the use of a U-shaped clip for connecting the ends of the band unless the spaces between the ribs, such as the spaces 5, were of sufficient width each to receive such a clip. To overcome this difiiculty, we punch the connecting T- shaped slots 6, as shown in Fig. 1, such slots extending across parts of the spaces 5, and on account of the extensions 7 of the slots extending to the ends of the bands removing the end portions of the central rib 4:, so that when the clip 8 engages with such slots 6 its edges will be below the apex of the rib 4, which engages with the screw-thread of the pipe or bolt. The strip shown in Fig. l is bent by any suitable mathread-protector of Fig. 2, and the U- shaped clip 8 is fitted into the slots 6 and its edges 9 pressed down upon the body of the band, as shown, so completing the thread-protector.

In so doing on account of the removal of the of Mildred Blakey for patent thread-protecwith these ribs extend continuously along the chinery into band form, forming the annular end portions of the central strip 4. the clip 8 will fit down close to the body portion 2 of the band, and its inner face will be brought below the apex of the rib 4, so that when the thread-protector is screwed upon the pipe or bolt the connecting-clip will not come in contact with the threaded face of the pipe or interfere with the screwing of the protector upon the pipe, a very simple, strong, and efficient connecting means between the ends of the band being thus provided and one which can be used even though the band has a rib' in its mid portion, the ends of which would interfere with the use of such clip.

In Fig. 6 we have shown another form of strip containing two ribs 10 in the mid portion thereof, the ends of both of which are removed in punching the T- shaped connecting-slot. In this strip it will be seen that the upper faces of the ribs 10 and 11 are square instead of being V- shaped, it being necessary to tap a thread on such ribs to form the finished protector.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. A thread-protector formed of a thin, integral, wrought-metal band, having a rib ex.-

tending inwardly about midway of the band of greater height than the threads to be engaged, said band having T- shaped slots formed at the ends removing parts of such rib, and a connecting device engaging with the T- shaped slots in the ends of the band.

2. A thread-protector formed of a thin, in-

- tegral, Wrought-metal band, having a rib extending inwardly about midway of the band of greater height than the threads to be en gaged, said band having T- shaped slots formed at the ends removing parts of such rib, and a U-shaped clip fitting in said slots and having its ends bent down to connect the ends of the band.

In testimony whereof we, the said MILDRED BLAKEY and GEORGE G. BLAKEY, have hereunto set our hands.

MILDRED BLAKEY. GEORGE G. BLAKEY. Vitnesses as to Mildred Blakey:

W. R. OsBoRN, M. A. OsBoRN. Witnesses as to George G. Blakey:

GRACE O. RAYMOND, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

